emplearvsempleeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“emplear” and “emplee” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#8,653
“emplear” frequency rank
#49,607
“emplee” frequency rank
58260
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature emplear emplee
Definition Ocupar a uno encargándole algún negocio o puesto. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de emplear o de emplearse.

Where the eye mixes emplear and emplee

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. emplear runs 7 letters (VCCCVVC) against emplee's 6 (VCCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
emplear
6 ch
emplee

Visual trap between emplear and emplee

A purely visual mix-up. emplear ([ẽmpleˈaɾ]) and emplee ([ẽmˈplee]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58260, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

emplear is recorded at frequency rank #8,653, classified as averb, pronounced [ẽmpleˈaɾ]. emplee is at rank #49,607, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽmˈplee].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 58260, this pair ranks #67,118 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of emplear vs emplee

Shared letters: elmp. Private to "emplear": ar. Private to "emplee": -.

"emplear" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVC  ·  "emplee" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • emplearemlpear · emmplear · empelar · emplaer · emplearr · emplera · empllear · empplear
  • empleeemlpee · emmplee · empele · emple · empllee · empplee · epmlee · meplee

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "emplear" and "emplee" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ẽmpleˈaɾ] versus [ẽmˈplee]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "emplear" or "emplee"?
"emplear" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,653 in our Spanish list, against #49,607 for "emplee". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "emplear" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "emplee" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #67,118 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "emplear" and "emplee" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "empire vs emplee". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #67,118 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list